1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates, generally, to an attachment assembly for securing trim material to the padding of a vehicle seat. More specifically, the present invention relates to a vehicle seat trim attachment assembly for securing the seat trim to the seat padding in trench attachment applications to provide a narrow trench width and positive trim attachment.
2. Description of the Related Art
Generally speaking, a vehicle seat includes three fundamental components: (a) frame to support the seat and to mount it to a vehicle; (b) padding to cover the frame; and (c) trim material to cover the padding and provide a durable surface for contact with a vehicle occupant. Typically, the pad is made from an expandable foam material, such as a polymer, and molded to a predetermined shape during a molding process. For example, the predetermined shape of a bucket-style seat includes raised front, side, and rear bolster areas and recessed central seating and back sections. Further, the padding may also vary in thickness for ergonomic or cosmetic reasons. The trim material may include any number of materials, such as cloth, polymers or leather. Often, the selection of trim material is governed by the sale price of the vehicle. For example, leather trim material may be used for luxury vehicles while cloth and polymer materials may be used for less expensive vehicles. In either event, the trim is attached to the padding or the frame or both through an attachment assembly.
Seat trim attachment assemblies are commonly known in the automotive industry. In particular, seat trim attachment assemblies generally fall into one of two types: close out attachment applications and trench attachment applications. Close out attachment applications refer to those where the attachment assembly is not readily visible by vehicle occupants as they are commonly located along the underside of a seat. On the other hand, trench attachment applications refer to those where the attachment area is readily visible by vehicle occupants. With respect to a bucket-style seat, trench applications are employed along the areas where the raised bolsters meet the recessed central seating and back sections, creating a valley or trench where the trim material is secured to avoid the appearance of loose fitting trim material.
In high-end vehicles, the areas of a vehicle seat that require a trench attachment application are hand-stitched or mechanically sewn to minimize the width of the trench area and therefore maximized the padding area of the seat. Hand-stitching or mechanically sewing the trim material to the padding in the trench application areas also provides a straight trench, commonly referred to as, “positive trim attachment,” which is preferred for quality and aesthetic reasons. However, hand stitching or mechanically sewing the trim material is often cost-prohibitive. Accordingly, seat trim attachment assemblies for trench applications strive to duplicate the “sewn-look” without incurring the associated cost by attempting to minimize the trench width and increase positive trim attachment.
Several attachment assemblies are known in the art for attaching seat trim material in trench attachment applications. Such assemblies includes hog ring attachment assemblies of the type disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 4,643,480 issued to Morita on Feb. 17, 1987 and U.S. Pat. No. 5,586,807 issued to Taggart on Dec. 24, 1996; hook-eye attachment assemblies of the type disclosed in U.S. Pat. Nos. 5,602,159 issued to Matsuoka et al on Dec. 30, 1997, and U.S. Pat. No. 6,206,467, issued to Mense et al. on Mar. 27, 2001; and J-hook attachments of the type disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 5,879,055 issued to Dishner et al. on Mar. 9, 1999.
Another type of attachment assembly used to secure trim material to a seat includes a protruding member secured to the trim material that interlocks with a base member secured to the seat padding having a plurality of apertures or key-hole recesses. Devices of this type are disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 3,794,378 issued on Feb. 26, 1974 to Haslam et al.; U.S. Pat. No. 5,733,001 issued on Mar. 31, 1998 to Roberts; and U.S. Pat. No. 5,641,552 issued on Mar. 16, 1999 to Burchi et al. The afore-mentioned devices employ a rectangular elongate base secured to the seat padding to engage a protruding member secured to the seat trim. However, the rectangular elongate base members are unable to be employed where the trench curves around the seat bolsters.
While the vehicle seat trim attachment assemblies for trench attachment applications of the type known in the related art have generally worked for their intended purposes, they suffer from the disadvantages of limited positive trim attachment in trench applications as well as increased trench width. In addition, the vehicle seat trim attachment assemblies for trench attachment applications of the type known in the related art suffer from the disadvantage of cumbersome assembly associated with securing the trim material to the seat padding. Thus, there remains a need in the art for an attachment assembly that provides a quality, desirable, trench width and positive trim attachment that is aesthetically pleasing and reduces costs associated with securing the trim material to the seat padding.